What Caused The French Revolution - 1544 Words

What caused the French Revolution to radicalize? Historians such as Timothy Tackett and David A. Bell explore that question implicitly in When the King Took Flight and The First Total War respectively. Although they are two profoundly different books, both point to fear as a causal force in the radicalization of the Revolution. However, Tackett suggests that the flight of the King created fears of counterrevolutionary conspiracies and suspicion as a result of France’s regime changes and polarization and thus radicalized Paris. While Bell argues that increased military modification and war caused fear and radicalization in France. The authors do not explicitly explain what they mean by â€Å"radical,† but from the evidence and events that they describe, one can deduce their definitions. After the king’s flee from the Tuileries, Tackett describes radical as certain political groups acting on and demanding for extreme measures such as violent demonstrations of depos ing the king in favor of a republic. Bell, on the other hand, defines radical differently. Radical according to Bell is people’s paranoia and fears to the extreme of killing hundreds of people who did not agree with the revolutionary ideal. Although The First Total War does not center on one event like When the King Took Flight does, Bell, like Tackett, describes how fear was a prime factor in radicalizing the revolution. Bell explores numerous events following the fall of the Bastille, and despite, theShow MoreRelatedWhat Caused The French Revolution?917 Words   |  4 PagesWhat caused the French Revolution? Many things contributed to it evolving. But only three were the most important. The influence dates back all the way to the Age of Enlightenment, the ideas definitely had an effect on the French citizens. The American Revolution ties with the Enlightenment as well. The political inequality of the three estates played a huge part in the disruption. In addition to that, the Economic inequality also influenced France. The French Revolution is a big and memorable partRead MoreCauses of the French Revolution During the period of 1789-1799 people lived much differently than700 Words   |  3 PagesCauses of the French Revolution During the period of 1789-1799 people lived much differently than individuals do today and there were many reasons for this. During the French Revolution there was a large amount of taxation for certain class groups, â€Å"While average tax rates were higher in Britain, the burden on the common people was greater in France† (GNU, 2008, pg. 2). Due to these large taxations on the peasants and lower class and not on the clergy and nobles it caused excessive conflict betweenRead MoreThe Enlightment and the French Revolution1263 Words   |  6 PagesFrance during the 18th century, there was a system named the Ancien rà ©gime, which refers to the societal, economic and political structure of France before the French Revolution. At the top of the pyramid was the absolute monarch Louis XVI. He took the throne in 1774 and received it with problems that couldn’t be fixed. (French Revolution Overview 6) Below the king came the first estate which was made of 100,000 nobles. The n came the second estate was made of 300,000 clergy. Finally came the thirdRead MoreThe French Revolution And The American Revolution1184 Words   |  5 PagesA revolution is not an event that comes around every few years. 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Though the American Revolution provided a model of rebellion for revolution in France, the major concepts of the Enlightenment joined with the struggle of the bourgeoisie against the nobility to fuel the revolution; the new ideas included equality, leadershipRead MoreThe French Revolution And The Revolution1221 Words   |  5 PagesWhen people think of the French Revolution, they immediately think of the country of France and how the Revolution affected it. What most people do not think about however, is how the Revolution affected other countries, specifically the country of England. England was affected positively and negatively by the Revolution in that there was an increase of political involvement, but there was a collapse in the economy due to war declared by France. The French Revolution created a battle of conflictingRead MoreThe Causes Of Joseph De Maistre And The French Revolution1696 Words   |  7 Pagesmere eight years after the Revolution. In order to understand what causes he believed caused the French Revolution, his conception of a Counter-Revolution and what would be necessary to undo the ideas of 1789, which is what this paper aims to discuss, it is important to know a brief background on de Maistre and what he stood for. de Maistre was an advocate of divine right monarchy as well as a defendant of Catholicism in the period of time directly after the French Revolution. He is known as a prominentRead MoreFrom 1789 to 1799, Who Posed the More Dangerous Threats to the French Revolution: Its External Enemies or Its Internal Enemies?880 Words   |  4 Pagesmodern European History: the French Revolution. The French population went through economic chaos, a dictatorship, and a civil war as well as other dramatic changes. During these ye ars, the French decided to speak up for themselves and they became enemies of the French revolution. Internal enemies included the King, Louis XVI, Monarchists and Royalists and the Churches that were run by refractory priests. External threats were caused by aristocrats who had fled the Revolution; more specifically knownRead MoreFrom 1789 to 1799, Who Posed the More Dangerous Threats to the French Revolution: Its External Enemies or Its Internal Enemies?891 Words   |  4 Pagesmodern European History: the French Revolution. The French population went through economic chaos, a dictatorship, and a civil war as well as other dramatic changes. During these years, the French decided to speak up for themselves and they became enemies of the French revolution. Internal enemies included the King, Louis XVI, Monarchists and Royalists and the Churches that were run by refractory priests. External threats were caused by aristocrats who had fled the Revolution; more specifically knownRead M oreThe Real Cause of the French Revolution Essay1710 Words   |  7 PagesThe Real Cause of the French Revolution For hundreds of years historians have tried to find out the real cause of the French Revolution, and they have come up with hundreds of varieties different reasons as well. Spread over the ten-year period from 1789-1799, the French Revolution was initiated by disagreements over the peoples ideas of reform. Seeking equality, liberty